At CinemaCon 2023, celebrating the movies is, of course, the name of the game. However, this year marked a particularly special occasion for Warner Bros., which is celebrating 100 years in the business of bringing joy and thrills to audiences all over the world on the big screen.

The theatrical experience is a much-needed “escape” and its powerful effect on storytelling was a major theme of CEO David Zaslav’s introductory comments, before announcing Warner Bros’ confirmed slate of 16 movies that will one day be heading to AMC Theatres. If you could not make it to CinemaCon 2023 in Las Vegas this year, read on as we give you the inside scoop on the most exciting upcoming releases for this iconic, century-old studio.

Upcoming Feature Films

One of the most talked about summer movies coming from Warner Bros. is the July 21st release of BARBIE, for which stars Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, and America Ferrera were interviewed alongside co-writer and director Greta Gerwig. They shared their experiences with the legendary Mattel doll – or lack thereof in Ferrera’s case – and the “breathtaking” effect of seeing the Barbieland set for the first time.

The Warner Bros. presentation also gave thrillseekers plenty to be excited about by teasing their upcoming horror movies, such as THE MEG 2: THE TRENCH – director Ben Wheatley’s follow-up to the Jason Statham-led creature feature, which is swimming into theaters August 4th and inspired some good laughs from the crowd with its trailer premiere. Also debuting was the trailer for the next CONJURING Universe spin-off, THE NUN 2 – which is haunting theatres September 8th – starring returning actor Taissa Farmiga and franchise newcomer Storm Reid, who showed up to praise the good scares.

DC’s Future

Among the biggest, most anticipated blockbusters on the Warner Bros. schedule are its upcoming superhero movies, which are part of a brand new era for the DC Universe as envisioned by James Gunn and Peter Safran. This new 10-year plan starts on June 16th with THE FLASH – starring Ezra Miller as the titular speedster and Michael Keaton playing Batman for the first time in decades – which debuted a new trailer at CinemaCon as presented by director Andy Muschietti.

Next on WB’s DC slate is teen superhero origin story, BLUE BEETLE, directed by Angel Manuel Soto, who appeared alongside star Xolo Maridueña and Bruna Marquezina to discuss the film’s most important theme: family. Maridueña encouraged the audience to see the film in IMAX when it releases on August 18th before Soto presented a new, extended trailer that introduced a deeper look at the world of the film.

The crowd was treated to a video message from James Wan, promising that his long-awaited sequel, AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM, will look awesome on the big screen when it comes out on December 20th. Star Jason Momoa, who is reprising the title role along with the 2018 box office smash’s original cast, also appeared in a video message to present the first trailer, in which Arthur Curry must spring into action when the surface world suffers an attack. This will mark the final chapter of the DC movies’ current central canon before the franchise transitions into Gunn and Safran’s new era.

Emerging Voices

The CinemaCon crowd was enthralled when the legendary Oprah Winfrey came on stage to conduct an interview with director Blitz Bazawule and stars Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, and Fantasia Barrino about their musical version of THE COLOR PURPLE. The story, which comes from Alice Walker’s novel about a Black woman’s experiences in the early 20th Century South, is especially meaningful to Winfrey, having made her acting debut in Steven Spielberg’s 1985 adaptation, alongside Whoopi Goldberg.

During the interview, the actors discussed the strong themes of sisterhood in the film, which will mark the feature debut of emerging voices Brooks, of “Orange is the New Black” fame, and Season 3 “American Idol” winner Barrino. Winfrey – the queen of gift giving – teased the idea of wrapping tickets to the drama in purple bows as holiday gifts for mothers across the country for when the film comes out on Christmas Day, also claiming:

“It’s not your mama’s COLOR PURPLE, but your mama’s gonna like it!”

Warner Bros. will close out this 100th year of storytelling during the holiday season with a pair of exciting releases led by Timothée Chalamet. The Academy AwardⓇ nominee was at CinemaCon to promote the fantastical WONKA – opening December 15th and starring the actor as the famous chocolatier in his youth – which debuted its first trailer, featuring Hugh Grant as an Oompa-Loompa. Chalamet was also joined by co-star Zendaya and director Denis Villeneuve to promote DUNE: PART TWO – the continuation of 2021’s OscarⓇ-winning adaptation of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi novel, coming out March 15, 2024 – which was teased as a more of war epic this time.

There is more to come from AMC Theatres’ coverage of CinemaCon 2023, as presentations from Walt Disney, Universal, Paramount, and Lionsgate will follow. Be sure to follow us on Twitter and check AMC Scene for updates about all the big reveals and updates on those anticipated movies coming to AMC Theatres later this year.